A necessary fiction

Thu 5 Oct 17 - Fri 19 Jan 18

A new exhibition of artwork by ceramicist Basil Olton responding to the untold history of anti- imperialist Black activism in interwar London. The work is inspired by Chris Braithwaite, also known as Chris Jones, a resident of Stepney, trade unionist and founder of the Colonial Seamen’s Association, who worked and organised in the East End during the 1930s and 1940s.

This exhibition opened in October as part of Black History Month and has been augmented by a fantastic programme of fringe events. The final couple of weeks see a wonderful talk and finale – details as below.

Artist’s talk with Q&A
Thursday 18 January, 6.00-7.30pm
In the exhibition’s final week, all are welcome to join a free tour of the exhibition with its artist Basil Olton. The tour will begin at 6.30pm. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and network with others interested in researching and representing Black hidden histories in arts and archives.

Exhibition finale: I am Chris Jones
Saturday 20 January, 2.30-4.30pm

The final event will present the creative contributions of local Black and Asian young people to the project, showcasing the outcomes from two different workshops that have been run during the course of the exhibition. Mile End Community Project will present spoken word audio and video responses to the exhibition which they curated, and Basil Olton will present clay collages produced by Year 12+13 Art & Design students from
St Paul’s Way Trust school.